Chapter 39
Dear Kate,
I’m sorry to have gone AWOL—I’ve escaped to my safe place, Formentera, for a while. The T-Rex incident was the final straw.
I’m not sure what to say, I’m genuinely heartsore over how this has rebounded on you and your family. My offer stands—say the word and I’ll reveal my identity. I don’t give a damn what Fiona or anyone else says.
I hope the costume found its way back to the shop safely. What a ludicrous turn of events—my darling girl would have found the whole thing hilarious. Laugh in the face of adversity, she always said.
I hope you can find some humor in the situation, Kate, you seem to be someone who likes to laugh. You share that in common with my late wife. I think you would have liked her very much. Everyone did.
Yours, H x
Dear H,
I’m relieved you’ve been able to get away, that feels like the right thing to do.
I’ve been worried about you after the aforementioned T-Rex incident.
Getting away helps with perspective, doesn’t it?
I found that on a recent trip, like stepping into someone else’s shoes for a while.
Or into your own most comfortable ones, maybe.
I genuinely appreciate your offer—I can’t imagine I’ll ever need to take you up on it, but I promise to keep it in mind just in case.
Your wife sounds like sunshine in a bottle. I hope in time you find your smile again. From everything you’ve said, I’m sure your happiness would be her greatest wish. Until then, soak up the sun and try to relax at least.
Speak soon,
Kate x
From: [email protected]
Dear Kate,
Hope you’re well and making the most of the summer!
I wanted to let you know in advance that the Sunday Times bestseller listing for The Power of Love is going to be retracted tomorrow because of the controversy around its authorship.
It isn’t a problem in terms of the book, sales continue to be robust. I realize, however, that you may encounter fresh negativity online, so I wanted to make you aware of the situation prior to it being made public.
Please do let us know if we can help at all.
Best wishes,
Prue
SUNDAY TIMES column by Muriel Blackstock to accompany the removal of The Power of Love from the Sunday Times bestseller list.
Passing through the airport this morning, I stopped by the bookstore to check out what’s being touted as this year’s hot read for my Greek sun lounger.
Three celeb-turned-fiction authors, a couple of TV tie-ins, and an ex-politician’s wife’s scandalous memoir.
So far, so normal. And then an entire stand dedicated to the summer’s runaway success story, The Power of Love by debut author Kate Darrowby.
Published in hardback, Darrowby took part in an ambitious TV and radio launch campaign, regaling the nation with humorous anecdotes about her misadventures in pubic topiary and a viral search for her husky-eyed first lover.
It’s since been revealed, however, in rather tawdry circumstances involving an Aussie surfer and a family-size trifle, that Darrowby isn’t actually the author after all—just a jobbing actor hired to pose as such.
All rise the publishing industry’s newest invention, the ghost author.
Readers will be familiar by now with the use of ghostwriters behind celebrity authors, but is this a step too far for them to stomach?
Given that the messy scandal has now resulted in the loss of its Sunday Times bestseller status, perhaps an AI ghost would have been a more appropriate choice. Certainly a more discreet one.
Oh, and for those wondering, Marian Keyes came to Greece with me in my suitcase. I sobbed into my souvlaki.